not interfere with the rights of other parties, and so has every sect, which, by leaving a community possessing acknowledged standards under its own administration, and regulated by acknowledged laws, which can only be legally repealed, claims for itself a peculiar interpretation for its standards, and rejects such laws altogether. Of this movement, you as an impartial judge approve. Be it so. One clergyman, an Independent, and in principle opposed to Church Establishments, whose christian character, valuable theological works, and superior opportunities of information render his judgment inferior to none on this subject, thus expresses his opinion, "I think it can hardly admit of a question, that, to a certain extent, if not entirely, the change has been in them (the non-intrusionists) not in the constitution of the Establishment, or in the laws of the country" Dr. Wardlaw's Speech, 1843; while another clergyman of the Associate Synod, a powerful debater and popular writer, and who is thoroughly conversant with the whole subject, thus speaks, "I hesitate not to avow myself inimical to the principles of the non-intrusionists. To the men I am not inimical, God forbid, but to their principles I am decidedly opposed, and have ever been. I rejoice that they have hitherto been defeated-that they have been driven from cover to cover like a hunted fox, and that they have found every new position less tenable than the last. I rejoice in the expectation, which is now confidently cherished, that they shall ere long find themselves defeated, totally and for ever. Some may be surprised at my expressing myself so; but only think what the consequences would have been had they succeeded! There would have been an end to all religious liberty-to every thing deserving the name of religious liberty. We should have lain at the mercy of an over-bearing priesthood-we should have been as much enslaved as ever our forefathers were-as ever the nations of Europe were under Papistry. I give credit to the Court of Session for maintaining the supremacy of their own. jurisdiction. I give credit to Sir James Graham and the Government for maintaining their supremacy, and

resisting the encroachments of ecclesiastical power.”— Speech of Dr. Marshall of Kirkintilloch, 1843. But the nonintrusionists have done much that may be advantageous to the Church. They have shown that, however laudable it may be to claim new privileges, no body of men can legislate, in a manner affecting third parties, without the sanction of the legislature. They have shown that the union between Church and State is to be maintained in all its integrity, and they deserve gratitude for whatever influence their efforts may have had in securing to the Kirk Lord Aberdeen's Bill, since, with other advantages, it is another legal conservator of that invaluable principle, REJECTION BY PUBLICLY AVOwed reasons only, a principle recognised throughout the whole History of the Church of Scotland.

And now, Honourable and Reverend Sir, permit me, respectfully, to bid you farewell. It is unnecessary to state inferences from the facts presented in the preceding pages. That, in certain cases, your information has been erroneous, these pages afford ample proof, and your innate love of truth, I feel assured, will induce you to acknowledge, that in these instances, your conclusions in favour of the Free Church have been formed without accurate investigation, and are consequently occasionally incorrect.

In every page of your essay, however, in which you have written unbiassedly, you have indeed, embodied truly Christian sentiments, in language not unworthy of them. Still, allow me to express the ardent wish, that it may be long, very long, before a distinguished clergyman of the Scottish Kirk shall publicly plead, in behalf of any Christian Church, however emulous of distinction, whose members avow and applaud the intention "to sweep from the face of the earth" the SACRED, VENERABLE AND ILLUSTRIOUS CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

I remain,

HONOURABLE AND REVEREND SIR,
Your most obedient servant,

CARLTON PLACE, GLASGOW, 1845.

C. HUTCHESON.

APPENDIX.

A.

THE following explanation of terms may be useful to the reader:Kirk, Kirke-Church of Scotland.

General Assembly-The highest Ecclesiastical Court of the Kirk. The Commission, "A Committee of the whole House." It consists of the whole members of the General Assembly, with the addition of one clergyman.

Synod-The second Ecclesiastical Court of the Kirk.
Presbytery-The third.

Session, Kirk-Session-The fourth.

Moderator The Chairman of a Scottish Ecclesiastical Court. Chapel, or Quoad-Sacra, Ministers-Clergymen in connection with the Scottish Church, originally without a parish or territorial district assigned to them, and without a seat in the Church Courts. They had districts assigned to them, and were introduced into Church Courts by an Act of Assembly (1834), which was illegal. They resumed their original position, after the separation, in May 1843. Evangelicals-Low Churchmen.

Moderates-High Churchmen.

Evangelical Moderates-A modern term applicable to clergymen evangelical in doctrine, but whose opinions as to the late disruption are similar to those of the Moderates. We occasionally hear the inconsistent term, "Furious Moderate," in the religious coteries of Scotland. Patron-The person who has the power of presenting to a benefice. Presentee-The clergyman presented to a benefice by the patron. Veto, Veto Act, Act on Calls-An overture carried by a majority of the General Assembly in 1834, and ratified in 1835, and which afterwards proved to be illegal. It conferred the right to male heads of families, being communicants, to reject a presentee, without assigning reasons for his rejection.

Court of Session-The highest Law Court in Scotland.

Residuary-A term of contempt applied to the Established Church of Scotland by Free Church writers.

H

B.

"If his doctrine be found wholesome, and able to instruct the simple, and if the Church justly can reprehend nothing in his life, doctrine, nor utterance, then we judge the Church, which before was destitute, unreasonable, if they refuse him whom the Church did offer; and they should be compelled, by the censure of the Council and Church, to receive the person appointed, by the judgment of the godly and learned," &c.-First Book of Discipline, fourth head, concerning ministers and their lawful election.

C.

"Edinburgh, Dec. 25, 1566.—Bishops, Abbots, Priors, and other persons beneficed, being of the Kirk, who receive teinds and await not on the flock committed to their care, neither present themselves to the General Assembly, are ordained to be summoned by the superintendents to compear at the next General Assembly, to give their assistance, and counsel in such things, as appertain to Christian religion, and preaching of the true word, and further to know the ordinance of the Kirk to be made thereanent."-Acts of Assembly.

D.

As this well-known passage is not to be found in the new edition of Melvill's Diary, printed for the Wodrow Society, Edinburgh 1842, I give it entire from Hetherington:-" We will yield to you your place, and give you all due obedience; but, again, I say, you are not the head of the Church; you cannot give us that eternal life which we seek for even in this world, and you cannot deprive us of it. Permit us then freely to meet in the name of Christ, and to attend to the interests of that Church of which you are the chief member."

E.

The power of granting or withholding ordinances. More extensively, authority in doctrine, discipline and government."

F.

Interim Interdict-An order by a Court of Law suspending some movement projected or intended by the interdicted party, until it be judicially found whether he be legally entitled to carry the same into operation.-Anon. The equivalent term in England is " Injunction."

G.

Another case was before the Glasgow Presbytery, January 1845, of which the newspapers state, "It will be recollected that the first libel against Mr. fell to the ground, as it was raised by a then incompetent Court, and, when the Presbytery afterwards resolved to libel him, they convened a meeting," &c. More recently:HAMILTON PRESBYTERY." The Clerk laid upon the table a communication from the Church relative to the Cambusnethan case."

II.

It was one of the peculiarities of the Veto Act, that under its provisions a presentee was rejected by "male heads of families being communicants" in one parish, and afterwards the same presentee was accepted by "male heads of families being communicants" in another parish. Thus proving, either that the first rejected a faithful preacher of the Gospel, or the second accepted an unworthy minister.

I.

The First Book of Discipline, by defining distinctly what the Fathers of the Kirk conceived to be "laws, councils or constitutions, imposed upon consciences of men," affords most information as to this subject. They had no apprehension of the power of any Court being improperly employed, except in showing favour to the Church of Rome. "And, therefore, with the Apostle we affirm, that all Scripture, inspired of God, is profitable to instruct, to reprove, and to exhort. In which Books of Old and New Testaments, we affirm that all things necessary for the instruction of the Church, and to make the man of God perfect, is contained and sufficiently expressed. By the contrary doctrine we understand whatsoever men by laws, councils, or constitutions, have imposed upon the consciences of men, without the expressed commandment of God's Word, such as be the vows of chastity, forswearing of marriage, binding of men and women to several and disguised apparels, to the superstitious observation of fasting days, difference of meat for conscience sake, prayer for the dead, and keeping of holy-days of certain saints commanded by man, such as be all those that the Papists have invented, as the feasts (as they term them) of the apostles, martyrs, virgins, of Christmas, circumcision, epiphany, purification, and other fond feasts of our Lady: which things, because in God's Scriptures they neither have commandment nor assurance, we judge them utterly to be abolished from this realm: affirming further, that the obstinate maintainers and teachers of such abominations ought not to escape the punishment of the CIVIL MAGISTRATE."-First Book of Discipline.